Thought for Wednesday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare the people of this generation?
What are they like?
They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,
and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
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I will be leading a pilgrimage to Rome from September 22 – October 1, 2015. I will be happy to pray for your prayer intentions while in Rome. Please send me your prayer intentions to frburke@dioceseofjoliet.org with the subject line “Prayer Intentions”. Please pray for the 45 people on the pilgrimage that our hearts may be open to the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is talking to the crowds telling them what they are like. He says they are like children who whine and complain when they don’t get what they want. “We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.” In other words, they wanted to control God. They wanted him to do exactly what they wanted when they wanted it.

Have you ever bargained with God? “If I get this job, THEN I will go back to Church” or “If you heal my Mother, then I will believe in you.” We cannot manipulate God. We cannot control God. Yet that is what we try to do.

We also make excuses not to follow God. People accused John the Baptist of being possessed by a demon because he didn’t eat or drink wine. They accused Jesus of being a glutton and drunkard because he ate and drank with sinners. It is impossible to make everyone happy.

Today many of us make excuses not to believe in God or Jesus. We don’t go to Church because of something that has happened to us. Or we see people who are sinners walking into Church and we decide that we don’t want to be a part of the hypocrisy. I have heard people say, I don’t go to Church because it is full of hypocrites. I always say, “There is room for one more.” We are all sinners and hypocrites, but that is why we go to Church. We go to learn more about Jesus and to receive the grace in order to change our lives. There is no perfect Church, but we are a people on the journey toward holiness with the grace of God.

And Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the only way to true joy and peace in life. Jesus is the only one that can fill the void in our hearts. St. Augustine said, “My heart is restless until it rests in thee.”

Do I make excuses not to go to Church? Do I judge others because it takes the focus off of me? Do I try to manipulate God by making deals with Him? Do I have an emptiness in my soul that needs to be filled? Do I whine and complain when things don’t go my way?

If your answer to any of these is “yes”, it is time to drop to your knees and ask the Lord to enter your heart and take over your life. Maybe the Lord will not act the way we want Him to, but that is okay. We must trust that the Lord has come to love us, to heal us and to save us. Believe me; His plans for us are always better than our plans for ourselves. Trust in Him because He loves you.

Responses

Blessings to you through our Lord Jesus’s Holy Spirit. Have fun in Rome, while you are with a good group of travelers. Keep me in your prayers, for I am a sinner too! Trying to do my best. However fail many times. Peace be with you Fr. Burke.